US Teen hired as Physics Professor at Korean Univ

[bluejives]

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200804/200804230012.html

Amazing.

[jaehwan]

In her application letter, she introduced herself as a "girl genius" who was covered by many media outlets, including the New York Times, CNN, New York Post and Washington Post.

But a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology said, "Sabur has made no achievements in research or teaching, apart from the fact that she is studying in a doctoral course at a young age."

Not to knock her, but I think there's a huge difference between "genius" and "prodigy." She's definitely a prodigy who should be proud of her early achievements. She may also be a genius, but she hasn't proven it yet.

[Ike]

What would you say the difference between prodigy and genius is?

[Hater Depot]

A genius innovates and makes huge leaps. A prodigy just learns a lot really fast.

[jaehwan]

A genius innovates and makes huge leaps. A prodigy just learns a lot really fast.

Exactly.

An eight year old doing calculus is cool, and it makes that eight year old a prodigy. But everyone eventually can do calculus. There is nothing special about doing calculus. That person's status as a "prodigy" is a function of his or her young age. A person becomes a "genius" only if that person can innovate or create something new. When a person is a genius, we drop the relativistic criteria: overall achievement is the yardstick, and age has no relevance.

[kimtae]

I have lost all respect for Konkuk University for resorting to such cheap publicity ploys to get attention. A professorship is not something to be granted lightly. Understanding difficult science is not the same as having good teaching skills and the wisdom to guide students, especially in a country like Korea where professors are expected to perform mentor roles well beyond that of what we see in the West.

[wuwei]

What a fucking joke. Foreign worship at its finest.